


Cherry Blossom Dance

by Calesvol



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1920s, Alternate Universe - Geisha, Declarations Of Love, F/M, Male-Female Friendship, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:21:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24272014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calesvol/pseuds/Calesvol
Summary: Since Sakura made her debut just a few years ago, the infamous bunraku pioneer, Sasori, became her danna to support her art. However, when it becomes apparent that he bears feelings for her that go beyond being her sponsor, Sakura is shown the truth of his heart for everyone to see.
Relationships: Deidara & Haruno Sakura, Haruno Sakura & Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura/Sasori
Comments: 9
Kudos: 40





	Cherry Blossom Dance

Warning(s): T, none

* * *

Gion, Kyoto was the most beautiful in the springtime. Maybe it was because her namesake was after these delicate blossoms that grew profusely along the Shirakawa River that Sakura felt particularly at ease, even though she was on her way towards an engagement that her okiya mother, Tsunade, had promised would be simple. Geta clicking on smooth stone, kanzashi glittering as the glass cherry blossom beads tinkled together, her jade kimono heavy on her body and tight by the obi, Sakura felt free when she was able to explore the world she was a little bit isolated from. Supper would soon be upon this district, becoming home to capitalists who traveled abroad to bring modernized business to Japan.

She would know, because her own father had been from the Philippines before changing his name and assimilating alongside his Japanese wife. Wanting to make them proud, Sakura had endured all manner of scrutiny and hardship until, barely a year after she’d debuted, she walked the streets of Kyoto as a proud geisha who had debuted under the guidance of her older sister in the okiya and sponsor, Shizune Katō. It had been a difficult journey, but one that was completely worth it.

With Japan changing so rapidly in the past century, the old capital was meant as a respite and escape away from the brashness of the world. And as a geisha, she was one of those beloved artists who reminded them of what was beautiful, and tonight seemed no different.

Cherry trees bobbed in the sweet breezes of the late evening, and as Sakura strode along in modest steps, she could see the outer veranda of the ochaya—the tea house—she’d be entertaining at that night. So beautifully aglow, it reminded Sakura of the summer festivals just around the corner and those to come, like a paper lantern floating idly on the current of the Shirakawa. This one in particular was distinguished for its elite artisan community reflected in who she’d be entertaining tonight.

The first client was none other than the kenjutsu master Sasuke Uchiha, hailing from a long line of illustrious samurai before the old system eliminated need for them many years before. He and his kendō students would be the ones entertained, although Sakura would be entertaining Sasuke exclusively. From the few times they’d met before, the stoic Uchiha didn’t seem openly taken by her, but that he would hire her exclusively… it was promising, though Sakura had to remind herself not to let that kind of giddiness go to her head.

The second was her danna, Sasori, someone she rarely saw but still cherished. A legendary bunraku artisan, within the past decade he’d been active had he completely modernized and revolutionized the theater form and brought it back to prominence after almost going extinct. He was a stoic man, and a little mysterious, but never failed to captivate her with tales of the stories he was contemplating putting to script. According to Deidara, his closest friend and a sculptor of equal fame, it was the highest form of intimacy to indirectly involve her in his art.

Tonight, especially, was going to be exciting. Sasori would be debuting a new creation that would revolutionize how the puppets operated, something that had never been done before. It was exciting to think about, really!

As the scenic walk to the tea house came to an end, Sakura took a little detour around the side where she wouldn’t be seen, meant exclusively for geisha like her to make way to the rooms they’d be entertaining in unseen. A few maiko and fellow geisha greeted her with gossip. Another geisha in particular, Ino Yamanaka, was said to be the chosen entertainment of none other than the ink painting prodigy, known only as Sai. That gained a kind joshing from Sakura, as the blonde always had been a close friend of hers, their journey beginning at the same time as that of the lovely Hinata Hyūga and Tenten, whose father came from abroad in China like her own. The four geisha were inseparable, really.

Though Sakura was a little wistful that she didn’t see more of her friends, seeing Ino was a happy thing enough. Wishing each other luck after fussing over each other in only the way friends could, they went to their respective venues and she was left to face the unknown again.

However, instead of being within one of the partitioned tea rooms, that night she was summoned to the main body of the tea house, in the massive central garden that flowered in its contained courtyard where the many parties atop the veranda were vivaciously carousing with one another. While it wasn’t Sakura’s first choice to host her client and his students here, with the spring weather being so agreeably warm and clear, it was hard to resent even if she preferred quieter venues.

“Sasuke-sama, can I pour you some tea?” she asked upon sitting respectfully close but reservedly next to the man, the Uchiha regarding her with an inclined head but not much else.

“Yes, thank you, Sakura-san,” he affirmed, keeping his attention on her. So, it wasn’t like he was ignoring her. Men like Sasuke tended to be shy, after all.

Smiling, she found a glazed cup and placed it before the swordsman, finding the tea pot to accompany it and a dish full of rice balls made in exactly the way Sasuke liked, something she’d seen through prior or the engagement. Though the tea wasn’t as sweet as she liked—simply being plain green tea—knowing it pleased Sasuke was heartening.

“I’ve been hearing a lot about your kendō team, Sasuke-sama. What’s this I hear about you being the local favorite to win next month’s regional competition? And touring until the autumn?” Though asked with a geisha’s artful probing, part of Sakura wistfully hoped that it wasn’t true. She did like his company to entertain, after all.

“Hm, yeah. It depends on whether or not we win, but I’m confident in my students. They’ve been training hard.” He was modest, who put faith in his team mates before himself. It was so hard finding a client who didn’t want to brag about themselves first and foremost.

While the conversation carried on for several more moments, the resonant sound of a gong rung successively drew everyone’s eye. On the central lawn was an impromptu limelight cast on a makeshift stage suspended over the pond, Sakura’s eye inexorably drawn. Even the carousing of Sasuke and his students ceased, all eyes on the stage itself. There, Sasori himself could be seen in a somber slate gray kimono and hakama, a traditionalist at heart. Sakura, herself, found her cheeks flushing at seeing him take such a commanding pose.

The loud billowing of tarp sounded as it was lifted and drew their eyes, Sakura just barely seeing the minute gesture Sasori had made to lift it in the first place. Sasuke gently nudged her shoulder, briefly glancing up at the complex system of pulleys, cables, and string erected over the open-air courtyard barely outlined by what remained of the twilight, Sakura admittedly feeling a flush of pride at her danna’s genius on display for all to see.

Yet, when the limelight widened its radius to encompass both puppeteer and puppet, Sakura felt her throat grow dry. The puppet was human-sized, in a sumptuously beautiful kimono and accessories that would make any geisha go green with envy, but… that had little to do with her reaction.

It… was her. A perfect emulation. The limelight shone through those lifelike strands of rosy hair, crystalline teal eyes jade in the light’s radiant glow that seemed to possess a light of their own. The height, voluptuous figure beneath were all distinctly Sakura. As she was a fairly renowned geisha in her own right after training under the legendary Tsunade Senju, the resemblance wasn’t apparent to just her.

Gossip circulated the verandas like a chorus of summer crickets, but Sasori was unmoved by it, so completely in his element that he could shut out the world outside of his art. A hidden band saw a haunting flute solo captivate the crowd into awed silence, though Sasuke glanced at Sakura and the automaton, perplexed by what he was witnessing. The Uchiha focused as intently as Sakura was. Hand raised to cover her mouth, it was difficult to hide the rising heat that sweltered her core.

_Sasori…_

As if her thoughts had been a beckon, from his statuesque pose did Sasori input a series of incalculable gestures that saw the automaton’s eyes blink and form shudder, as though taking in a first breath. Then, her arm extended suddenly with a snap of the rich furisode’s sleeve, the automata clicking through the haunting flute as a shimmery silver fan was produced, Sakura just barely able to make out the small red scorpion emblazoned upon it. From Sasori’s own lapel did he retrieve one of complimentary gold, a cherry blossom apparent in its relief.

Sakura could hardly breathe as she watched them, utterly spellbound.

Sasori’s eyes opened as his impassive visage remained changeless as he conducted the first stamps of something utterly familiar, the automata rocking as she emulated Sasori through mirroring movements. The pair’s fans twirled in unison of one another as Sasori elegantly conducted her. Then, the duo turned slowly as as the flute slowed and became overtaken by the plucking of a shamisen that grounded the performance masterfully.

Sleeves and the train of the automata’s furisode spun to a halt like fallen petals about her, blinking once with glassy focus while Sasori remained intense as ever.

Sasuke turned to Sakura, leaning to whisper into her ear, “Wasn’t this part of your performance of the Cherry Blossom Dances a few months ago?” At that, Sakura only swallowed thickly and nodded, unable to find the voice to speak.

_It was._

Then, their fans twirled in unison of one another, conducting another slow turn to the pace of the shamisen while keeping masterful control over their fans. Then, in tandem did they toss each fan to the other, ripples of awed gasping sounding as the automata caught it perfectly, turning as she did in time with Sasori.

With movements low to the ground, puppet and master took slow, deliberate steps around the radius of the unseen circle they were keeping, Sasori still as grounded and masterful as ever. That he knew the dance so well was impressive, especially when he had no such training that anyone knew of. They took pause and halted, Sasori now able to see Sakura fully. However, seeing Sakura and Sasuke so close to one another caused his composure to break, staring at them in abject shock. She saw his throat bob as he swallowed, and Sakura only had one word to describe the way he looked at her.

Completely and utterly betrayed.

Shame heated Sakura intensely while curdling her blood coldly, despite how the puppeteer continued with his performance, schooling his features into a stoic mask so no one else could see his hurt. Sakura’s hand clutched at her chest, feeling as though she’d been stabbed through the heart.

Though only a few minutes long total, the seconds dragged on like droplets of hail on her person, and when it was finally over and Sasori and his creation disappeared into thin air the moment the limelight shut off, then on, the widespread applause did nothing to placate her. She had to see him.

“Uchiha-sama, I’m extremely sorry, but something urgent has come up. I have to attend to something extremely important.”

Seeming to understand, Sasuke gave her a gentle, placating look and she smiled gratefully before taking off as swiftly as the bulk of her kimono would allow. There was one room she where to find him, where Sasori promised he’d always be if she needed him.

At the far end of one of the tea house’s many corridors was a room cordoned off by a placard with a single red scorpion on it, Sakura inhaling shakily as she willed frozen digits to slide the washi screen door open at all.

Prepared for his shock, indigence, to even anger, Sakura braced herself for any reaction as she thrust open the ingress and squeezed her eyes shut… all before cracking them open when she realized the interior was devoid of anyone but Deidara poring over notes with an o-choko of sake, a querying note emitting from the sculptor’s throat before realization dawned.

“Ah, Sasori-kun didn’t tell you? He had to cancel tonight’s engagement, hn. Sorry, Sakura-chan, but you know how it is with us artists.”

Sakura gaped before remembering herself and sliding the door shut, guilt clawing at her chest as she simply sank to her knees on one of the cushions and felt her eyes water over with threatening tears. Deidara sighed, gazing at her sympathetically.

“I really messed up this time, didn’t I, Deidara-kun?” she lamented mournfully, trying to flick away the tears from her eyes without ruining her pale white makeup. “He saw me with… Uchiha-sama…”

Deidara tsked and leaned back, scrutinizing her closely. “You have an idea, don’t you?” Gazing at him receptively, the sculptor continued. “Danna… pours his feelings into his puppets he can’t always bring himself to say or do in person, hn. It’s how he speaks from the heart, and tonight… I think made him realize how much you really mean to him. As more than just an artist sponsoring another artist, you make him vulnerable, Sakura-chan. He feels something he can’t put in words, and seeing you with someone else reminded him of that. The shock of knowing that being a geisha means you can’t be his and his alone, hn.”

Sakura was awestruck by this revelation, feeling her cheeks warm in a fury of color not even her makeup could dream of concealing. It was overwhelming, realizing this. That the stoic man who let her glimpse part of his hidden world felt so much was like stepping into a bath and only realizing how scalding the temperature was belatedly. But… it wasn’t an unpleasant heat.

A small smile flitted to Sakura’s features, drawing Deidara’s eye. “Geez, that Saso-sama, I swear…” But, the smile itself was genuinely fond. “He’s so hard to understand, but that’s just how it is, isn’t it? I guess I’ll just have to convey my own authentic feelings to him, too, somehow…”

The sculptor smirked at that, chuckling to himself. “I have faith in you, Sakura-chan, hn.”

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Credit goes to this fantastic [comic](https://too-many-scorpions.tumblr.com/post/171327932657/%E9%BA%BB%E6%96%97-%E5%A4%8F%E7%9B%AE-please-do-not-remove-artists-sources) for inspiration for this fic.
> 
> Admittedly, while I don't have any current plans to continue this, if I get enough reception to the contrary, I'll definitely make a sequel.


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